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Optimal design of glass grid shells with quadrilateral elements by means of a genetic algorithm

Optimal design of glass grid shells with quadrilateral elements by means of a genetic algorithm

Optimal design of glass grid shells with quadrilateral elements by means of a genetic algorithm

This paper was recently presented at the IASS-IACM 2008 (Ithaca NY, USA). You can read the full text on ResearchGate.

UPDATE. In 2010, the article was revised, extended and published on the International Journal of Space Structures. Read it on ResearchGate.

In this paper, a constructional problem related to grid-shells design is approached as an optimisation problem and an evolutionary solution technique is proposed. The construction of glass grid-shells, when only four sides cladding elements are used, requires to check the planarity of each element, it means that the four corner points have to belong to the same plane. This requirement can be satisfied by generating the grid surface in specific ways (Schlaich and Bergermann), but when the design involves truly free form shapes, a procedure of optimisation able to reduce the non-planarity of each element can be applied. The proposed one is based on the use of a genetic algorithm and has been applied to a benchmark and to a real case, in order to evaluate the efficiency of the procedure and the goodness of the solution.

Mario Sassone and Alberto Pugnale
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Benchmark 1

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Benchmark 2

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Benchmark 3